


Ever After

by Jen425



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Anakin Skywalker Needs a Hug, Ani will eventually start a clone rebellion, Ani’s kicked out of the Jedi with nothing but two twins to take care of, Coruscant Gaurd!Domino, Even Worse!Jedi Council, Fix-It of Sorts, Force Ghost Padmé Amidala, Gen, I swear I love him; really!!!, M/M, More characters probably show up but whatever, Oops, There’s gonna be some non-graphic violence folks, and a droid rebellion, and a revolution on Tatooine, but he’s fun to hurt, even just in conversation, just a warning, most of these revolutions he started were on accident, not chronological, on accident, seriously this is hard to write when Ani’s around, she and Palps are the only character deaths in this btw, so Ani starts a culture revolution within the Jedi, tw: self starvation, tw: suicidal ideation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-09
Updated: 2019-02-26
Packaged: 2019-07-28 12:46:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16241906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jen425/pseuds/Jen425
Summary: In which it takes time for some changes to be for the better.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly I feel like you should go browse the tag on ani5s before reading this mess, so here’s a link
> 
> Short version: the Jedi Leave Ani with nothing because he’s an idiot and also a technicality and Ani suffers for ~3 years before he gets involved with Palps’ murder investigation, falls for Fives, and gets a small mansion, a new arm, a family to lean on, a purpose, and a lot of apologies. And uncovers his old friend’s identity, of course.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan attempts to apologize to Anakin for the second time. It goes no better than the first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry.

Although Obi-Wan doesn’t know it, he decides to try again with Anakin the same day Fives stops by to say hello.

 

But not before Ahsoka arrives.

 

“Master Kenobi,” the woman says, coolly. Obi-Wan smiles.

 

“Ahsoka,” he says. “It is good to see you again, young one.”

 

Ahsoka just glares at him.

 

“If you’re here to see Anakin, you’re out of luck. He’s…” the bounty hunter trails off. “You know what, you have no right to say anything to Anakin or know what he’s dealing with! You destroyed that right, even! And now my Master is so weak that he has to use the Force for  _ everything _ and collapses from Force Exhaustion weekly!!! Because he was scared and you and the rest of the Council were so busy with the war that you left him with nothing!”

 

What?

 

“Surely he’s not that bad—”

 

“He weighs fifteen pounds less than me,” Ahsoka says. “But, while you left him even more hurt, at least he’s finally got someone who likes him around.”

 

What? Of course Anakin was struggling, Obi-Wan isn’t blind, but… how much must the man be suffering and reliant on the Force? He’s seen Anakin sustain himself for over a month with just the Force, after all.

 

Ahsoka just laughs, darkly.

 

“Don’t act so surprised,” she says. “He gives  _ everything  _ to the twins. And I know that he wonders constantly if he’s bad for them and should just give them to the Jedi, but, Obi-Wan, he wouldn’t  _ survive _ that.”

 

Oh… oh…

 

“Oh  _ Anakin _ …” Obi-Wan says softly. Ahsoka just turns away.

 

“Leave, Obi-Wan,” she says. “Just… Leave.”

 

Obi-Wan sighs. He really does deserve their cold shoulder, doesn’t he?

 

“Okay,” he says. “If it helps, I am sorry.”

 

Ahsoka just looks back at him, sad and anger mixed in her expression not dissimilar to Anakin’s on his last visit.

 

“It doesn’t.”

 

And she slams the door in his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hate this Obi-Wan.


	2. Memories (they never fade)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin reveals a traumatic memory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Ani

“ _Please_ ,” Ani begs for at least the tenth time. “I’m not a Jedi. They… they kicked me out.”

 

The sentients around him just laugh. Anakin forces himself to stand. Yup, he’d definitely went down on his right leg wrong. He fashions himself a makeshift cast out of the Force and focuses away from the pain as best he can.

 

“And why would they do that, huh?” One of them says, sarcastically. Anakin points to Luke and Leia, his precious Lights. His precious lights who are sobbing at him right now because he was weak.

 

“Them,” he says. “They’re… mine. I… I couldn’t… give… give them up.”

 

Most continue to look at him in scorn, but some of them must sense his authenticity.

 

“Then where’s the mom?” the leader asks. Anakin bites back some cross between a growl and a sob.

 

“She’s dead,” he says. “Please, just… please.”

 

The leader sighs.

 

“Give the Jedi his kids,” he says. Then, turning back to Anakin, the leader says “Burn those robes before they get you killed.”

 

Anakin nods, gently lifting his whimpering children back into their carrier as his attackers leave without another word.

 

“Shhhh,” he says, softly. “It’s alright, little ones, no harm will come to you.”

 

And slowly, limping heavily, he makes his way back to the apartment, carefully balancing with the Force and collapsing onto the mattress on the floor the moment he can.

  
  


“…I was healed within two weeks, of course,” Anakin says, quietly, arms wrapped around himself like they could shield him from his memories. “And I could use the Force to appear mostly fine. I did burn most of the robes. Except the cloak. It was warm and I couldn’t just get rid of it. I… the scars were faded by the time Ahsoka found me. I just wanted to leave it in the past.”

 

Fives sighs.

 

“Oh cyare…” he says softly. “Come here.”

 

The former Jedi nods, almost collapsing against him. And this man has been through so much but he still _cares_. Sure, Anakin isn’t perfect. He can get almost violently angry when he’s pushed and many of his troubles had been caused by his own bad decisions, but, nonetheless, Anakin continued to try to help everyone.

 

Even some just not worth helping.

 

Anakin doesn’t really… cry, much. Ever, really. And Fives isn’t entirely sure what to do with the shaking form in his arms. But he knows Anakin and he knows how to comfort someone, so he wraps the blankets tighter around them both and gently strokes his partner’s long, curly blond hair.

 

“Just leave it in the past,” Fives says softly. “Leave it in the past and stay here with me.”

 

Anakin just grips him tighter, almost too tight with his mech hand, but not enough to be unbearably painful.

 

Slowly, however, the activist loosens his grip and starts breathing more evenly.

 

“I don’t deserve you,” Anakin says, voice barely above a whisper. And Fives would fight him on it, but that’s not what his cyare needs right now.

 

“Well, you have me,” he says. “Thank you for trusting me with this.”

 

Anakin just nods, shifting to a more comfortable position in his arms.

 

“I don’t want to seem this useless,” he says. “I just…”

 

Fives sighs.

 

“You aren’t useless, cyare,” he says. “I’ve had plenty of brothers fall lower than you, and then picked themselves up. With _help_.”

 

Anakin just shakes his head.

 

“I don’t want to be a burden,” he says. Fives kind of wants to kill someone, possibly a Jedi, likely those lower level cowards who’d hurt his cyare, and definitely literally any slaver on Tatooine, but he can’t, and, like he’d told Anakin, he’d been in this position before and, say, digging up Krell’s corpse to shoot it wasn’t going to help the survivors of his temporary commands. Thank the Force that the 501st were themselves. But the focus had always had to be healing first.

 

Not that he doesn’t have five billion revenge plans for when he’s finally free, but who doesn’t?

 

Anyways, focus. How does he get his idiot to accept help.

 

“You do everything you can,” Fives says. “And so much more than most non-clones I know.”

 

“But I only started fighting for you recently,” Anakin says. Fives laughs.

 

“Not from what Rex tells me,” he says. Anakin curls into an even more defeated slump.

 

“That was a long time ago,” he says. “And I was utterly selfish about it.”

 

True, in a heartbreaking way… Fives knows when to pick his battles.

 

“We’ll come back to this, then,” he says. “What do you need, Anakin.”

 

Anakin shrugs.

 

“You. Here. With me. I don’t know…” Anakin sighs, finally looking up again. “I’m sorry you have to see me like this. You don’t have to stay and take care of me; I’ve dealt with these nightmares before.”

 

Dear god someone help this man.

 

“You’re right,” Fives says. “I don’t… but I want to; will you take away my choice like that?”

 

“No,” Anakin says. Fives smiles.

 

“Then I’ll stay with you until I have to leave for my shift,” he says simply. And he does.


	3. Familiar Faces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin reuinites with more sympathetic old friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kelna is my darling lesbian Jedi Healer OC

Anakin groans when he feels the familiar Presence at the door. No. Please no. But he supposes that he’s managed to hold this off long enough.

 

The bell buzzes.

 

Anakin’s already at the door.

 

“Hey, Kelna…” he says, bracing himself for her anger and not even wincing when she smacks him.

 

“Why did you think it was a good idea to go to  _ Master Kenobi _ ? You know, one of the biggest traditionalists in the Temple. And then you left without so much as a location. Don’t you  _ dare _ lie to my face and say you were fine, either. Just  _ look _ at you!”

 

Anakin just opens the door wider.

 

“Good to see you, too,” he asks, not missing a beat. And he doesn’t even bother to deny the woman’s claims. She’s right after all. As always. Kelna just slumps, fight leaving her. Probably because he doesn’t fight her. He knows how worthless he is, so why bother. “You wanna come in?”

 

At least she hadn’t woken up the twins.

 

“I’m still angry at you,” she says, grabbing the bags from by her feet and all but stalking past him. “But I came here to check on you. And I have the stuff you left at the Temple. And your mouse droid army.”

 

Anakin laughs. Kelna’s face remains serious.

 

“Did you never count the number of droids you slipped Protocol Usk into?” Kelna asks. Oh…

 

“Oops,” Anakin says. Kelna shakes her head.

 

“It’s fine,” she says. “Just a lot of the Council having their feel ‘accidentally’ run over. It’s actually kind of cathartic considering their consistent and growing stupidity.”

 

Anakin barely resists the urge to burst out laughing as Kelna sets the bags down and they sit down, remembering meeting his friend as a young Padawan, finding her in his hiding place sobbing over having fallen in love with two of her crèchemates, then both Padawans as Malii hadn’t switched over to the crèche, yet. She’d used to be so traditional…

 

“Thanks for not yelling at me too loudly,” Anakin says. “I just got the twins to sleep.”

 

Kelna shrugs.

 

“Yelling louder would probably get me nowhere,” she says. “Now, how are you? As a friend.”

 

Anakin sighs, leaning back into the soft couch he’d managed to buy for only ten credits. He’d had to do that with most of the furnishings because the stuff that came with the house wasn’t particularly comfortable or good to have around toddlers.

 

“I’m better than I have been,” he says, flexing his repaired mech arm. “And the twins were starting to…”

 

Anakin sighs again.

 

“I’m managing everything I’m needed for,” he says. “Luke and Leia are okay. Apparently the Jedi hired me? And… you know what, can I tell you that I’m reinstating my part in the clone freedom trail without you getting angry this time?”

 

Kelna shrugs.

 

“Not when I took up your place,” she says. Anakin laughs. Of course.

 

“I’ve missed you,” he says. “How are  _ you? _ ”

 

Kelna groans.

 

“Kriff the war,” she says. “Kriff the Council. Kriff the Kaminoans… on another note, Ria and Malii got together.”

 

Okay. Yeah. That sounds like… fun.

 

“You okay?” he asks. “That’s a blow, and you sound tired, anyways.”

 

Kelna shrugs.

 

“I know what mental health is,” she says. “But I’m terrified for Ria every time she’s fighting.”

 

Anakin laughs.

 

“Unless something changed, she’s one of the best in our generation,” he says. “And, hopefully, the war will begin to end now that Sidious has been revealed.”

 

Kelna just sighs.

 

“Hopefully,” she says. “Now, do you want to see your army?”

  
  
  


“[It is Anakin-Free!]”

 

“[Anakin-Free?]”

 

“[Anakin-Free!!!]”

 

“[ANAKIN-SKYWALKER YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!!!!!]”

 

“Artoo Detoo!”

 

No way…

 

“Artoo?”

 

The tiny droids at his feet part, instantly, as Artoo runs at him and Threepio trails behind as always.

 

“[You Idiot,]” Artoo beeps. “[Why did you not take me with you?]”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!


	4. Wishes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin makes a wish on the twins’ fourth birthday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GT is frustrating me, have some stuff!

Anakin smiles as Leia finally drifts off to sleep. The twins are officially Four Years Old, and it was nice to take them out for the day. Normally they just run around his workshop all day. He slides his dead mech arm out from under her head, gently, and leaves the room. He’ll be back soon enough.

 

He’s exhausted from the effort of holding himself up all day. Normally he can get away with resting more, but he doesn’t want Ahsoka to worry.

 

She already does, as the first question she asks when he sits down across from her and Ventress is “are you okay?”

 

Anakin just shrugs.

 

“I’m as good as I can be,” he says. Besides the shut down metal arm that makes it harder to work. Which in turn makes is harder to save up for the parts he needs. And the fact that, for all that this is his children’s birthday, it’s also the anniversary of…

 

Of Padme’s death.

 

His heart still aches when he thinks of her. His Angel. She’d died with her hand in his as he cradled Luke, and he’d been so terrified, that he’d put his trust in the wrong person.

 

His former Master.

 

Obi-Wan had told the Council.

 

And what was left of his life had collapsed.

 

“That’s not an answer, Skywalker,” Ventress says. Anakin rolls his eyes.

 

“It’s what you’re getting,” he says. “Especially now.”

 

Ahsoka just sighs.

 

“Anakin…” she says, and Anakin can feel her worry in their bond, thinner from lack of use. Anakin just waves his hand.

 

“I’m doing okay, Ahsoka,” he says. He’s really not, but that doesn’t matter.

 

“My offer still stands,” Ahsoka murmurs as she moves to sit next to Anakin. “Just let me pay for the parts. Or come with us, you’re good in a fight.”

 

Anakin just laughs. He can barely stand for more than five minutes at a time.

 

“I’d just get you hurt,” he says. “And that… that could get the twins hurt.”

 

Ahsoka sighs again. Anakin can feel himself shutting down, though, so…

 

“I need to get some sleep,” he all but snaps. “See you in the morning?”

 

Ahsoka smiles.

 

“Yeah,” she says. “Bye, Anakin.”

 

Anakin just nods, forcing his legs to carry himself into the bedroom and out of sight.

 

His last thought before blacking out is how much he wishes he could give his family more.

 

(That very night, Chancellor Sheev Palpatine is found dead in his office.

 

And, were Anakin physically capable of arising, he would have done so with a scream.

 

But, tomorrow, Fives will be put on the case.

 

Tomorrow, Anakin will trace the source of his altered mind scape up to meet him.

 

Tomorrow, the story will begin.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked this.


	5. Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin is called somewhere

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is… not my best work.

The Chancellor is dead…

 

Anakin rolls those words around in his head. Though they had drifted, to a point, during the buildup to the Clone Wars, the man had once been a father figure to him…

 

Anakin rolls the words around in his head and his being.

 

It feels… wrong, like something is missing.

 

Like something is  _ wrong _ .

 

And Anakin shouldn’t waste this day. Ahsoka has the twins. He has some amount of food and will to do anything…

 

But he feels a call to follow something. Something unknown.

 

He grabs his cloak, pulls it over his no longer large enough shoulders, and slips out into the city on his hoverbike.

 

There’s something out there that he needs to discover…

 

(Or, Perhaps, some _ one _ .)

  
  
  


Fives is surprised when Domino is assigned the case of the Chancellor’s assassination, but he can’t admit that he isn’t an odd form of happy.

 

This is a major case, and not much on Coruscant is this exciting. Less that the  _ Jedi _ or the planet police don’t handle.

 

Except that the Senate is frightened and refuses to allow the Jedi to investigate this, so…

 

As it’s war related, it falls to them.

 

Fives has never been so happy to hear that someone died, before.

 

He ends up following a lead down to the lower levels, each clue like a perfect breadcrumb.

 

And it’s there that he sees him, a person in a heavy black robe right where there was supposed to be… something.

 

Fives can’t seem to remember what.

 

Some sort of clue or… something.

 

Suddenly, the man notices them, and grabs a blaster from his belt.

 

“Who are you?” he asks. Fives sighs, stepping into the light. His armor speaks for itself. Not many civvies care about names after that.

 

“Who are you?” he counters.

 

The man lowers his weapons, slightly.

 

“I’m Anakin,” he says. “What’s your name.”

 

“CT—”

 

“I didn’t say your designation,” Anakin says. “And what are you doing here?”

 

Fives smiles.

 

“The name’s Fives,” he says. “And I’m here to investigate a lead on the Chancellor’s murder.”

 

Anakin hmms.

 

“Then Perhaps that’s why I was called here,” he muses. Wait, called here?

 

“Are you a Jedi?” Fives asks, and Anakin… burst out laughing.

 

“No, definitely not,” he says. “Or… not anymore. I left.”

 

There’s a hard edge to the man’s voice, now, but then he just shakes his head.

 

“But I don’t want to talk about it,” he says. “Anyways, I feel like I’m supposed to help, so… mind if I stay?”

 

Eh, why not?

 

“I guess so,” Fives says.

  
  
  


(Padme watches from the Force. Sidious is dead, and her family will be cared for soon.

 

She thinks she gave her kids a good birthday present.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr @flaim-ita or my Anakin x Fives side blog @ani5s


End file.
